Solithromycin Proves Safe, Makes Cempra A Deal Target

06 Jan 2015

• By Lisa LaMotta

The antibiotic showed promising results in a late-stage study of the oral formulation, setting the company up as a potential target for acquirers and partnering opportunities – though for now it is signaling its intent to go it alone.

Cempra Inc.’s antibiotic solithromycin exhibited strong Phase III data – particularly in the area of liver safety – putting the biotech in prime position to find a partner or get acquired as antibiotic development re-emerges as a viable therapeutic area.

Solithromycin, a fourth-generation macrolide antibiotic in the fluoroketolide family, is in Phase III testing for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) in...